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You guys are killing me.

Ring Around The Secret Room
Starday, 20th of Goodmonth
Early Morning, Sunny, Warm, Humid

Once again, pandemonium breaks out in the tight tunnels as soon as danger is added to the mix. With Caracenus bleeding out on the floor, Alordan charges in, swinging with both blades, grazing his combatant with his sword. Next to him, Lerrick wants nothing to do with fighting this monster while bloking the fighters behind her. So, as Caracenus takes his final breath, the groups clerick rushes away from her fallen comrade to allow Gramble and Maag access to the battle.

Andronichishche gives Maag some hand signals that he doesn’t quite get as they both rush north up the tunnel attempting to come around behind the beast. After a bit of direction confusion slows them down, they both tear off into the entrance chamber.

Unlike the three you’ve encountered before, this huge minotaur, though he looks exactly like the others, doesn’t appear interested in wildly returning Alordans attack. Once it sees more enemies flowing out the door, it jerks it’s ax from Caracenus, essentially snuffing the poor humans life, before braying loudly and turning to rush away, just before Gramble arrives on the scene. Tlachtga starts a quick a spell, but her target disappears around the corner before she can get it off.

Brutus wins initiative but since he was already engaged, his fleeing will allow Alordan one free attack of opportunity, if he wishes. That would happen before you give chase, if that’s what you decide to do. Tlachtga can finish her spell once she gets sight of her target again, if she’d like. (within 80’)

Actions?

map:Alordan 18/18
Lerrick 7/11 2/4 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Carucenus -5.5/10 (Dead)
Tlachtga 8/8 4/4 1st Torch 40’r
Gramble 16/16 (Light stone 40'r)
Andronichishche 6/6 0/3 1st / CL, DM, RM 1/1 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Maag 12/12

MIA
Sir Crestbrook 9/11 LoH (Petrified in Melania’s(?) bedroom)
Cu AC:3 13/13 (Whereabouts Unknown)
message on tiny decorative box
Mina's note

Alordan seeks revenge for the fallen Carucenus and lashes out. He does shout in the one language he knows, gnoll, that the minotaur may understand, "We'd prefer to talk!"

Long Sword Attack [1d20+1] = 20+1 = 21 (THACO=18)
Long Sword Damage(+1 str/+1 weapon) = S/M: [1d8+2] = 4+2 = 6 / L: [1d12+2] = 1+2 = 3

Dagger Attack (off-hand) [1d20-1] = 6-1 = 5
Dagger Damage = S/M: [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2 / L: [1d3+1] = 2+1 = 3

If it appears to be gone for now, he will tend to the wounds of the fallen.

Would Andron have heard Alordan?

Andronichishche

As Andronichishche and Maag begin to pass through the entry chamber, he spies the impaled head of Marquees and stops short. "Maag, wait. Help me with this." He then tries to pull the stick from the ground. "If he hears us coming, we may still be able to scare and surprise him with this."

Andron will only spend a few seconds trying before ushering them on, allowing Maag to take the lead. He will also try to keep the head out of sight behind Maag.

Quonundrum wrote:Would Andron have heard Alordan?

No, not likely from another chamber.

Tlachtga

Tlachtga moves up and sees if she can help out with Carucenus. "Are we going to pursue it?"

Lerrick

When the minotaur retreats down the hallway the cleric rushes to the fallen comrade. Seeing the severity of injuries to the fighter up close the Lerrick knows that there is nothing she can do. Putting the glow rock bamboo torch against the wall Lerrick then kneels down, lightly puts her hand on slain fighter's forehead, and mumbles a prayer. She then stands, takes the torch and joins the others.

Maag

Maag pauses to help Andron with the head-on-a-stick. Then he continues up the tunnel. "More bleedin' weird wizard stuff" he grumbles as he sets off again.

Gramble stands guard waiting if it returns

Ill take your word for it.

Ring Around The Secret Room
Starday, 20th of Goodmonth
Morning, Sunny, Warm, Humid

As the minotaur charges away down the tunnel, Alordan assures it in a guttural, unpleasant tongue, that his group would prefer to talk, right before he plunges his longsword into it, causing it a devistating wound. Blood drips along the floor as the beast flees down the narrow tunnel into the darkness. Showing a bit of restraint for the first time so far, the group decides against chasing after it. The druids spell fizzles while the fighters stay alert, watching for a possible return. Lerrick prays over the body of their fallen comrade, though none of them really knew the man very long.

Andron and Maag pull up the stinking, half eaten severed head on a stick, causing them another delay in their chase. The thing is disgusting and covered in insects, but they grab it up all the same, hoping to use it to their advantage somehow. Maag leads the pair south again, but the way ahead remains as silent and dark as an old crypt. They find no sign of the minotaur passing this way at all.

Actions?

map:Alordan 18/18
Lerrick 7/11 2/4 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Carucenus -5.5/10 (Dead)
Tlachtga 8/8 4/4 1st Torch 40’r
Gramble 16/16 (Light stone 40'r)
Andronichishche 6/6 0/3 1st / CL, DM, RM 1/1 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Maag 12/12

MIA
Sir Crestbrook 9/11 LoH (Petrified in Melania’s(?) bedroom)
Cu AC:3 13/13 (Whereabouts Unknown)
message on tiny decorative box
Mina's note

Andronichishche

Andronichishche peers down the eastern tunnel as they pause at the intersection. He lowers the lighted end of his bamboo pole so it's close to the ground, reducing the illumination area. "Let's keep moving, I'll close the door behind us. He was afraid of Marquees. This ...", he raises the severed head on a stick, "... may startle him and give us an advantage." Andron will follow Maag about five feet back to give the yeg a better chance at surprise. He will close the secret door after passing through.

I assume Brutus is long gone, but Andron doesn't know what happened.

Maag

As they get closer to where the party should presumably be fighting Brutus, Maag notices that lack of combat noise. He starts to creep along as quietly as he can, listening for any clues as to what is going on.

Tlachtga

"What happened to Maag and Andron, shouldn't he be talking by now?"

Alordan will do his best to help the fallen comrade. "We should be quick, we have an advantage and should follow when we are all together and have light..."

Lerrick

Where did they go? <Referring to Andron and Maag> I now agree that we must stay together, especially after we witnessed what the minotaur can do.

Ring Around The Secret Room
Starday, 20th of Goodmonth
Morning, Sunny, Warm, Humid

While the others look over their fallen friend, Andron and Maag spot drops of blood on the floor as they make their way back around through the secret door south of the party.

Once everyone is reunited again, they see that this cursed place has taken another one of their own. Carucenus lies dead on the floor in a growing pool of his own blood.

Actions?

map:Alordan 18/18
Lerrick 7/11 2/4 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Carucenus -5.5/10 (Dead)
Tlachtga 8/8 4/4 1st Torch 40’r
Gramble 16/16 (Light stone 40'r)
Andronichishche 6/6 0/3 1st / CL, DM, RM 1/1 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Maag 12/12

MIA
Sir Crestbrook 9/11 LoH (Petrified in Melania’s(?) bedroom)
Cu AC:3 13/13 (Whereabouts Unknown)
message on tiny decorative box
Mina's note

Andronichishche

Andronichishche closes the secret door after passing through and stops before the body of Carucenus, being careful to avoid the disturbingly large pool of blood collecting underneath. He sighs deeply and tosses the stick with its grisly attachment down the eastern tunnel before the insects can defile the wound. The severity of the injury combined with the solemn expression on Lerrick tells him that checking for vital signs is futile.

"We found droplets of blood just south of the secret door. Brutus fled?", he asks pointing to the dark opening of the south tunnel. "We did not see any evidence of him passing through the intersection, though. He was probably teleported immediately after leaving the light. Why would he flee, though? In every other encounter Brutus was berserk with rage ..." Andron taps his chin thoughtfully, "Carucenus was crouching or kneeling, Brutus may have mistaken him for a kobold. I imagine he was not too keen on fighting the man who killed his invincible tormentor," he says with a slight nod in Alordan's direction.

Andron steps over to the threshold of the secret room and peers inside. "Brutus could be anywhere in this complex, now. We had best hurry and finish here before he regains the courage to attack us again, but as for what we do about him ... I know just the impenetrably black hole we can dump that minotaur dais in." He says this with a very grim and determined expression. Losing another life in another attempt to parley was not a risk he was currently comfortable with accepting.

Andron points to the copper discs embedded in the dais. "We need to work quickly. Assuming Marquees left another clue here with these statues, we have three discs to manipulate." He indicates the two copper discs on the left side and the copper disc at the top right. "All of them are at the same elevation from the floor, which suggests they are at the lowest position. I propose we twine a length of rope along a pole and loop the far end around a disc, then pull it straight up like a fishing pole. Start with the disc at the top right and assuming no traps are triggered, perform the same procedure with the two discs on the left. Finally, pull up the center disc if the first three have no effect."

He steps back from the threshold into the western tunnel. "Any thoughts or suggestions otherwise?"

Alordan agrees to staying together and going after the minotaur.

Gramble angrily says

how the hell does this bastard keep coming back after we kill him, poor carn taken down by a single blow.